United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the U.K., or Britain is a country and sovereign state to the north-west of mainland Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the north-east part of the island of Ireland and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Irish Sea. It is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel. The United Kingdom is a Parliamentary democracy and also a constitutional monarchy comprising of four provinces: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Wales. The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II who is the unelected hereditary Head of State, but is by common consent Britain's "top chick". Queenie is also Head of State of fifteen other realms including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica, known collectively as the British Commonwealth or The Nice Countries. The Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, formally possessions of the Crown, are not part of the UK but form a federacy with it. The UK has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface. Britain was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th century, but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished Britain's role and status in global affairs. The UK remains a major political, economic and nuclear military power; it holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, is a Great Power and is a member of the G8, NATO, the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. The only country in the world that knows how to make a nice cup of tea. Also, most of its occupants have no idea what an "English muffin" is. Presumably because it was ironically an American invention. Unlike America and other countries, the UK, actually fought the whole of WW1 and WW2.It ended up on the winning side in both cases. The last time America fought a war against the UK, in 1812, it lost. The last time America fought a war without the UK on its side, Vietnam, it lost, so it goes without saying that America needs the UK. Also, every time the UK fights on the side of America, half of its casualties are due to American soldiers killing them in friendly fire. It also has the benefit of not having conservatives who shoehorn their religious beliefs into politics. Margaret Thatcher annoyed a great many people when she was Prime Minister with her neo-conservative policies. Unfortunately even more people liked her enough to vote for her. Fortunately that’s now past. In fact, Britain is quite a liberal country though Scandinavia is possibly more liberal. Scandinavia is more Social Democrat than liberal. Britain has a LOT of rain though Norway has even more and thus the British understand what it is like to be constantly damp. Category:United Kingdom Category:GeographyCategory:Countries Category:Europe